My wife is pregnant with our first little boy at 33 weeks along. Last week she had numbness in her legs, so she went to the doctors office. Her bp was 135/103 so they sent her to L&D for labs. Her 24 hour test showed 306. Her doctor prescribed bedrest for the remainder of her pregnancy.

I just found the site and appreciate the information very much. Anyone with ideas or anything that I need to know would be greatly appreciated.

Bryan, welcome - I'm so sorry to hear your wife has developed complications.

With that BP and proteinuria, your wife has met the diagnostic criteria for preeclampsia. The average time from diagnosis to delivery is two weeks - obviously there is a lot of leeway in that, but it's worth bearing in mind.

Preeclampsia can progress very rapidly - some women go from okay to severe in hours, others inch along to almost full term. Though 33 weeks sounds very scary, it's actually a pretty good place to be from our perspective and babies born around that time generally do very well.

I do have some questions. Is your wife's OB a high risk specialist? Did he talk about what symptoms/BPs means another trip into L&D? Are you monitoring her BP at home?

What about the numbness in her legs? That sounds worrisome to me - were you given any explanation?

And when is she due for her next check up?

(Sorry for the interrogatiion - but it does help us to get a fuller picture.)

Fiona has given you some great info already, but I just wanted to jump in and welcome you as well! I notice from your profile that you are in Utah, as am I. Please don't hesitate to e-mail me if you need anything.

Please let us know how your wife is doing, and feel free to ask any questions you may have. There is a lot of infomation and support to be found here.

I just wanted to ask if your wife had gotten a round of steroids for the baby's lungs? My son was born at 34 weeks on the nose and only spent a week in NICU, probably because of the steroids. It's my understanding that after 34 weeks or so, they're of no benefit, but that up until that time, they help the lungs produce surfectant so the baby's breathing is easier.

That bottom number of 103 is *high*; are her pressures responding to bedrest?

Hey Bryan... welcome to the forum but I'm sorry to hear about your wife's condition.

My advice for you, as a dad, is fairly simple. Make sure that you clearly understand from your doctor what to look out for, and get specifics (exact blood pressures, headaches, etc.). Then, find out exactly what to do if she exhibits any of these symptoms.

Additionally, while you're very well into the pregnancy (congratulations on making it to 33 weeks), please make sure that you and your wife are very comfortable with your wife's doctor. If he/she is NOT a perinatologist, then ask if he/she is consulting with one.

Remember, your primary role is acting as your wife's advocate during this time. Make sure that you really understand the disease that you're facing, when to seek immediate medical help, and, finally, that you and your wife are comfortable with your medical team.

Hi Bryan, I'm posting for my husband Dave. We just had a 30-week preemie as a result of my severe PE.. . He's dictating, here is what he wanted me to type you. . . ."You should definately push to get the steroids. Even if they say they are not beneficial after a certain point, there has not been research to prove that they have been harmful. Babies of PE have growth issues inside and just because you are at a certain gestational age, it doesn't mean the organs are developed to that gestational age!!! I know how overwhelming the stress is between having to be at work and take care of your wife also. If she is at home on bedrest get a blood pressure machine from Walmart or somewhere. Learn the symptoms of well and keep a close eye on her because even though my wife was hospitalized on bedrest for blood pressure, when the physical symptoms hit, they hit fast. One day she was fine and the next day had the upper right quadrant pain because of her liver starting to fail. Hang in there and best of luck and keep being supportive, wipe her tears, she won't forget it."

Thanks to everyone for your concerns and help. My wife is doing fairly well on bed rest. She will be 35 weeks tomorrow. She sees the doctor twice a week for ultrasounds, amniotic fluid checks and non stress tests. Things seem to be going ok. Her blood pressure is hit and miss, low some days and high others, although it hasn't been six digits since bedrest thankfully. She received the steroid shot in week 33 to help the little guys lungs develop. We monitor her BP everyday at home.

Hopefully this update covers everyones questions. Thanks again to everyone for your support, its great to know its been done before.

Hello again everyone. Our baby boy was born tuesday 4/10 at 38 weeks. After a 3 day stay in the special care nursery for fluid in the lungs and a heart murmur, we brought him home and he is doing great. Today the murmur could not be found, and he was given a clean bill of health.

I really appreciate everyones concerns and information. For us bed rest really worked. The doctor at 32 weeks said he would be happy if she could keep him until 34 or 35 weeks. My wife was very diligent and did stayed in bed, and she made it to 38. We feel very lucky and fortunate of the outcome.